The hesitance of William Shakespeare's character Hamlet in his search for vengeance is one that has produced endless theories and received the criticism of many. Whilst Shakespeare never gives a concrete reason for his characters extended inaction, most appear to agree that there is some basis for Hamlet's delay rather than simply an attempt by the playwright to lengthen the drama of the play to its full five acts. Freud's psychoanalytic theory of Hamlet involving the Oedipus complex is widely known and has received many supporters and even more critics over the years. More commonly accepted explanations include religion and intellect, as Hamlet appears to struggle with the moral implications of his intended deed.

One theory of Hamlet's delay in killing Claudius is the well-known psychoanalytic theory originally proposed by Sigmund Freud and seen in his work The Interpretation of Dreams. Freud believed that Hamlet's lack of action was driven by the Oedipus complex which he himself named and entails a child's secret desire to remove their same sex parent and take their place with the parent of the opposite sex.

Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, smoking ...

Hamlet avenged his father by killing his uncle The...

This was long thought to be the only portrait of W...

Freud suggests that the only possible explanation for Hamlet's uncharacteristic hesitation when it comes to action against his uncle is that he himself unconsciously identifies with Claudius. Watching Claudius take the place of his father with his mother after murdering the King unveils the subconscious desires of the character and without even realising it Hamlet aligns himself with the man who has done what he wished he could. It is pointed out by Freud that Hamlet is anything but incapable of action as he exhibits on a number of occasions such as the scene in which Hamlet slays Polonius as he eavesdrops on a conversation between Hamlet and his mother, only briefly declaring "how now, a rat? dead for...

More Hamlet essays:

... The play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, perfectly captures the act of procrastination and the negative effect it can have on the procrastinator. In the play young Hamlet is told by the ghost of his father to avenge his father's death by killing his uncle Claudius, as Claudius was the ...

... /20/2011 Hamlet's Delay in the killing of King Claudius Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is a tragic play about a man's revenge of his father's death from his uncle and his desire to prove himself as a prestigious son. Hamlet, the King of Denmark and protagonist of the play is ...

... William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the concept of cultural identity is explored through Hamlet's isolation which is created by the conflict between his duty to his father, and his duties to the monarchy and society. Hamlet ...

... waiting to kill Claudius , the new King will be damned. Hamlet even concedes that his own behavior is quite crazy, when he writes the orders for RosencrantzÕ and GuildensternÕs executions. By the end of the play, Hamlet has acted in madness, saneness, and both at the same time ...

... William Shakespeare, perhaps the greatest playwright of all time, authored a number of works consisting of sonnets, comedies, and tragedies. In his brilliant career, Shakespeare created literary works of art. What makes Shakespeare unlike any other writer of ...

6 pages89Mar/20044.7

Students & Profs. say about us:

"Good news: you can turn to other's writing help. WriteWork has over 100,000 sample papers"